An encounter that changed everything
What began as a relaxing paddleboard trip off Big Pine Key in Florida turned into a dramatic rescue mission for Charity Clark and her friend Cassie Bailey. At sunset, the two women were paddling among sharks when they noticed something unusual: a buoy was moving strangely. On closer inspection, they discovered a shark floating motionless belly-up in the water — completely entangled in fishing line.
"I immediately grabbed the line to pull the shark up and see if there was still hope," Clark later shared on TikTok. While her friend filmed the scene, Clark began using her bare hands to untangle the line, which had wrapped around the animal from its mouth to its dorsal fin and down to its flippers.
@dashofadventure Last night at sunset, we found something we never expected—a shark 🦈 , tangled and lifeless, trapped upside down from a trap line. If we hadn’t been there at that exact moment, this shark wouldn’t have made it. We worked quickly and carefully to free him, hoping he still had a chance. After what felt like forever, he finally kicked back to life and swam off, back where he belongs! 🥹 We aren’t exactly sure what kind of shark this is—so if you know, drop it in the comments! Most importantly, fishermen, please be responsible with your lines. Negligence like this is deadly. Our oceans and marine life deserve better. Let’s do better! 🦈🌊🫶🏻 #SharkRescue #SaveOurOceans #MarineConservation #ResponsibleFishing #floridakeyswildlife #savethesharks #rocpaddleboards @ROC OUTDOORS @Cassie Bailey ♬ original sound – Char
Hope despite stillness
The shark lay motionless in the water, and its chances looked grim. Still, Clark didn’t give up — even though she knew a sudden bite could change everything. “He was really stuck on that line,” she said later. The line likely came from an improperly secured lobster or crab trap — a sobering example of human negligence in the ocean.
As Clark carefully untied the knots one by one, the hearts of both women beat in sync with the tension. Finally, the moment came: the shark moved, broke free — and swam away. “We screamed with joy,” Clark recalls.
Instinct and compassion
In a later interview, the 43-year-old explained, “It was just instinct. I didn’t think — I just acted.” The sight of an animal in distress was enough to move her to action. When the shark finally broke free from its tonic state — a kind of trance where sharks freeze under stress — the relief was immense.
The rescue video was viewed over 184,000 times on Clark’s TikTok channel (@dashofadventure) and liked thousands of times. Although she couldn’t identify the exact shark species, comments suggested it was probably a blacktip reef shark. “You helped him breathe again by untangling him — thank you for saving him,” one user wrote.
Clark and her friend set an important example with their action: for compassion, courage — and the urgency to treat our oceans more responsibly.
